Constitution and Bylaws
Charter of The College of New Jersey
American Medical Student Association Premedical Chapter
ARTICLE I. NAME
The name of this organization shall be the American Medical Student Association, hereafter referred to as The College of New Jersey AMSA Premedical Chapter.
ARTICLE II. PURPOSES
The purposes of this organization shall be:
1. To provide an environment that supports and fosters the creative ideas of physicians-in-training.
2. To promote, encourage and maintain a cohesive relationship with the students, non-student organizations and communities of The College of New Jersey.
3. To serve as a forum for discussion of health issues and develop a policy agenda for physicians-in-training.
4. To affect change in the medical education process and to make it more responsive to the needs of students and society.
5. To maintain its status as an independent organization.
6. To maintain its primary identity as an organization for physicians-in-training.
7. To promote and maintain programs which enhance the quality of health care in the community.
8. To continue to develop health-care leadership.
9. To seek, develop and provide membership services to the physicians-in-training community.
10. To increase knowledge of health information among members and the general public.
11. To periodically re-evaluate the above purposes and ensure that they are carried out in a proper fashion.
12. To support students seeking a future career in allied health professions in addition to medicine.
ARTICLE III. QUALIFICATIONS ON MEMBERSHIP
A. Eligibility
Students enrolled at The College of New Jersey who are either current affiliated members of AMSA or in the process of applying to AMSA shall be considered active members of The College of New Jersey AMSA Premedical Chapter. Any student can be considered an associate member provided that he or she maintains active status (explained in Bylaws, Article I, Section B). Members of the above named organization shall be accepted without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, national origin, disability, sex, sexual preference, age, creed, marital status, parental status, or veterans’ status. Furthermore, it is understood that members of the above organization will not, at any time, engage in hazing.
ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
A. Titles
The officers of an executive board of an AMSA national premedical chapter shall include: president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, sergeant at arms and any other positions the chapter wishes to create. Terms last for one year. Elections are held every April.
B. Duties of the Officers
1. The President shall:
a. Preside at all general membership and special meetings.
b. Appoint committees and serve as ex-officio (non-voting) of said committees.
c. Assist the treasurer in the preparation of a budget for his or her term of office by June 1.
d. Carry out assignments and instructions to the office of the president.
e. Serve as a chapter delegate to the Premedical Caucus at AMSA’s National Annual Convention each March (or select a surrogate if he/she chooses not to attend).
2. The Vice President shall:
a. Be an aide to the president
b. In case of absence or disability of the president assume the duties of the president.
3. The Treasurer shall:
a. Present a budget and a tentative schedule of suggested fund-raising activities for the finance of the chapter with approval needed by the president and executive committee to the membership by June 1.
b. See to the day-to-day expenditures of the chapter.
c. Make sure the chapter does not assess any liabilities.
d. Oversee the fund-raising committee on behalf of the chapter.
e. See to the best of his/her abilities that money used on behalf of the chapter is used wisely and in a manner which suits the purposes of the chapter.
4. The Secretary shall:
a. Keep a written record of all meetings (general membership meetings, executive, etc.) in order to provide the chapter with a record of issues discussed, problems posed, ideas raised and of the people who participated in the group discussion for benefit of the chapter and its members.
b. Recite or resummarize the record of minutes for approval by the membership.
c. Keep a current list of active members and their attendance.
d. Record minutes to be “open” to all members.
e. Oversee the publicity committee on behalf of this chapter
f. In case of absence, have a substitute appointed that day by any member of the executive committee.
5. The Sergeant at Arms shall:
a. Call all local premedical chapter meetings to order, and shall adjourn each said meeting.
b. Oversee the Service projects on behalf of the chapter.
c. See to it that all activities taken by the chapter are in accordance with the bylaws of the constitution.
d. See to it that all meetings are given the chance to speak and to be heard at general membership meetings. Supervise elections and see that they are carried out as set forth in the bylaws in a fair and just manner.
e. Oversee the impeachment process.
f. Oversee revision of constitution and bylaws at least once an academic year.
C. Types of Meetings
The various meetings of the organization, as defined in the bylaws, include:
1. General Membership
2. Annual election meetings
3. Special meetings
4. Officer meetings
D. Quorum
Quorum for general membership, annual election and special meetings shall be those active members present, provided proper notice is given, as defined in the bylaws. Quorum for officer meetings shall consist of 50 percent of the voting members.
Bylaws of The College of New Jersey
American Medical Student Association Premedical Chapter
ARTICLE I. MEMBERSHIP
A. Privilege of Membership
Members shall have the right to attend all meetings and participate in all Premedical AMSA-sponsored activities. “Special Events” are for active members only.
B. Active Status
Members are responsible for attending all meetings. Only in the case of an emergency, test or class, shall a member be absent. If a member has a class on all of the dates set for meetings, they can still be active only if they are active in their respective committees. Active members must attend over half of the scheduled meetings or participate in events to earn an equivalent amount of points. Inactive status will comply with those who don’t fulfill the previous requirement.
C. Associate Membership
Any student of any age of any major who attends the College of New Jersey can be an associate member of the AMSA premedical chapter at TCNJ as long as he or she maintains active status (explained in Bylaws Article I, Section B)
D. Committee Obligation
Active members must represent the committees they signed up for actively to satisfy their director. If the director can’t get any response from the committee member, they will contact the sergeant of arms for proper disciplinary actions as referred to in Article IV, Section E, #5.
E. Recommendations
The College of New Jersey AMSA Premedical Chapter will write letters of recommendation to those who are in active status as mentioned in Section D. Also, a list of active members will be provided to the current premedical advisor at The College of New Jersey to aid them in any reports. Overall performance in The College of New Jersey AMSA Premedical Chapter will be the deciding factor in giving any recommendation. One can be inactive at certain times before the time applying for recommendation. If the overall performance is positive and they show continuing success, especially the term applying for, then a recommendation will be granted.
F. Elections
1. Nomination shall be taken two weeks before election day by ballot and made public for everyone’s awareness. If the nominee chooses to accept the nomination he/she will give a 5-minute speech on the day of the election. The annual election meeting shall be held at the general membership meeting in April. Persons may not nominate or second themselves. If only one name is submitted for a position, the vote may be taken vocally. In other events, names shall be written on ballots and counted immediately. Candidates receiving a simple majority of votes cast shall be declared winner. At least two-thirds of the votes must be attained to win a run-off. Executive board members are not allowed to vote in elections, and only the president is allowed to break ties. The newly elected members of the executive board must meet with the previous executive board members for transition of chapter functions. The officers may be nominated and elected by the ballot at the last regular meeting in April. A majority vote of the members present shall be necessary to elect. When there is only one nominee for an office, there may be a vocal vote. All officers shall take office immediately at the close of the meeting in which they are elected.
2. Eligibility:
Any member of The College of New Jersey AMSA Premedical Chapter shall be eligible for election provided that he/she:
1. Qualified under The College of New Jersey’s Golden Rule.
2. Is a member of national AMSA and The College of New Jersey AMSA Premedical chapter for at least one semester prior to the election (except founding officers) and an active member as defined by Article I, Section B.
3. Has met with the executive board to understand the details of the desired position.
3. Vacancies of Offices:
If any office shall become vacant except for the presidency, the president shall, at the earliest possible date thereafter, order a special election for the purposes of filling such office. The member thus elected shall immediately enter his/her duties and shall hold office until the next regular election. The vice president would assume the role as acting president if the president were to leave.
4. Removal of Officers
Officers can be removed from office by a majority or two-thirds vote.
5. Voting Powers of Officers:
Officers retain voting rights. However, the president often votes only in the event of a tie.
6. Duties of the Directors
Attend all director meetings and hold the position in the best interest of the organization.
7. Removal of Directors:
Any director can be removed of his/her title if the executive board comes to a vote of two-thirds or greater. A replacement will be appointed immediately.
8. Election of Directors
Outgoing directors will choose candidates to fill the positions, who will then be interviewed by members of the executive board. All candidates can be denied the position. The executive board can then continue to search for a director.
ARTICLE II. COMMITTEES
A. Committee chairs must have a written report of committee progress by each general membership meeting. The following must be presented in the committee reports:
1. Committee name.
2. Committee chairperson.
3. A list of people who helped your committee complete each goal.
4. A list of goals accomplished since the last meeting
5. A list of goals that were not completed, and an explanation of why and what action will be taken.
6. A list of goals you plan to accomplish by the next meeting.
7. Indication of any announcements that need to be made at the general meeting.
8. Indication if you need to have a written report b=provided to your committee members. Provide a copy of the report. Members can join as many committees as they wish, but must be active in at least two or else face penalties provided by the executive committee.
B. The executive committee must present a calendar of annual goals at the beginning of the year to general members.
C. The fundraising committee must seek projects to finance the chapter.
D. The publicity committee shall promote and publicize the chapter. They must also comply with the Golden Rule “Advertising and Signs” section.
E. New committees can be appointed at any time by the executive committee.
ARTICLE III. FINANCIAL PROVISIONS
A. Dues
The AMSA national dues are currently set at $75.00 annually for official national recognition. However, there are no dues required to be an associate member of The College of New Jersey AMSA Premedical Chapter.
B. Financial Obligations
Penalty for non-payment: Any member that fails to pay dues will lose membership status and benefits of national recognition. There is no financial obligation to be an associate member of The College of New Jersey AMSA Premedical Chapter.
C. Finances
AMSA shall be funded by SFB and other fundraising endeavors. All finances shall be controlled by the president and treasurer only. There must be a budget each year as proposed by Article IV, section E, line C. All funds must be spent on organizational purposes only. The transfer of power of controlling all funds shall be done one week after the new officer has been appointed.
ARTICLE IV. MEETINGS
A. Ample notification shall be given to all local members regarding meetings held by the executive and publicity committees.
B. General membership meeting shall be held at the set location(s).
C. Annual election meeting: The annual election meeting shall be held by the beginning of April and shall be executive by the president and sergeant at arms. Only active members may vote. Candidates receiving a simple majority of the votes shall be declared victorious.
D. Special meetings can be called by any member of the executive board or any five members of the general membership. The purpose of any special meeting shall be stated in the announcements of the general meetings.
E. Executive board meetings:
1. The executive board shall be required to schedule at least 3 meetings a semester and more as necessary.
2. The executive board shall consist of the president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, sergeant at arms, and any heads of any other committees the chapter wishes to create.
3. Quorum at the executive board meetings shall consist of 50 percent of the voting members of the executive board.
F. Time and Place:
At least four general membership meetings shall be held from September through April; the place and hour to be determined by the officers. Most meetings will be held on Wednesdays at 1:00 pm in Biology 208.
ARTICLE V. APPOINTED OFFICERS
At the request of the executive board, the premedical advisor shall be an affiliate member of The College of New Jersey AMSA Premedical Chapter, and an ex-officio member of the executive board. The advisor shall oversee the executive board and general membership of the organization on matters relevant to the purposes set forth in these bylaws.
ARTICLE VI. PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE
The rules contained in the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall guide this organization in all cases which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the Bylaws and special rules of order the organization may adopt.
ARTICLE VII. ADVISOR
The advisor of The College of New Jersey AMSA Premedical Chapter shall be a non-voting member of the executive committee. He/she must have a sincere interest and commitment to the welfare of the chapter. The advisor must be a faculty or staff member of The College of New Jersey.
ARTICLE VIII EXTERNAL AFFILIATIONS
The College of New Jersey Premedical Chapter of the American Medical Student Asociation, is affiliated with the national American Medical Student Association. The College of New Jersey AMSA Premedical Chapter is governed by AMSA laws and its own. The College of New Jersey AMSA Premedical Chapter is free to govern itself under the guidelines set forth. The College of New Jersey AMSA Premedical Chapter will meet with the AMSA once a year at the Annual Convention. The American Medical Student Association is located at the following address:
1902 Association Drive
Reston, VA 20191
1-800-767-2266
[email protected]
ARTICLE IX. AMENDMENTS
A. Amendments for the Constitution
This constitution may be amended at any general membership meeting of the organization by a two-thirds vote of the active members present, provided that the amendment proposed had been submitted in writing to the president and posted in a conspicuous location for at least two weeks prior to the meeting. All amendments, additions and/or deletions to the constitution of the above named organization shall be adopted only after a vote of two-thirds of the members present. Additional articles and amendments maybe included only if they are in consonance with The College of New Jersey and AMSA regulations and policies. These must be filed with The college of New Jersey’s Office of Student Affairs and the AMSA national office within one week of adoption.
B. Amendments for By-laws
Amendments to these bylaws may be adopted at any general membership of the organization by a majority vote, provided that the amendment proposed has been submitted in writing to the president and is posted at least two weeks prior to the meeting.
C. Rules of Making Amendments
1. Any amendments to the constitution must be ratified by a 2/3 vote of present active members.
2. Amendments shall be submitted to the Student Government Association for review on a yearly basis.
ARTICLE X. DISSOLUTION
In the event of dissolution of the above named organization, all unspent funds of The College of New Jersey shall remain the property of The College of New Jersey AMSA Premedical Chapter. All privately obtained funds shall be donated to a non-profit organization.